Thor Industries Inc. announced today (Aug. 17) the appointment of Don Emahiser as president of CrossRoads RV, Topeka, Ind.

Emahiser was recently named president of Thor’s new luxury fifth-wheel division Redwood RV; Redwood will now become an operating division of CrossRoads.

According to Ron Fenech, Thor RV Group president, “Don has quickly proven to be a great leader and team builder and will help drive CrossRoads to even greater success in the marketplace.”

Emahiser, a 12-year industry veteran, previously served as Carriage Inc. president and CEO prior to joining Redwood. “Utilizing the back office resources of CrossRoads will enable Redwood RV to be in an even better position to offer a super competitive luxury fifth-wheel,” says Emahiser.

Emahiser replaces Mark Lucas, who is stepping down as CrossRoads RV president. “Mark Lucas is a talented and valuable member of the Thor team,” said Fenech. “I am confident that we can find a mutually beneficial position within our company for Mark.”

Thor Industries Inc. today (June 14) announced the appointment of Don Emahiser as president of a soon-to-be-launched towables RV company. The new company is expected to launch product at the 2010 National RV Trade Show in December.

The new position marks a return to Thor for Emahiser, who began his career with the Elkhart, Ind.-based RV manufacturer in 1998. He then spent six years as vice president of sales at Middlebury, Ind.-based Starcraft RV, doubling the company’s revenue and market share according to a release. In 2006, Emahiser joined Carriage Inc., Millersburg, Ind., most recently serving as president and CEO.

“Tremendously excited, is all I can say,” Emahiser said in a release. “The opportunity to come ‘back home’ and build a company with Thor’s expertise, resources and track record is an amazing honor and privilege.”

“We’ve been trying to bring Don’s talent to our company for some time,” said Ron Fenech, Thor RV Group president. “He has touched every facet of the RV business with success and we are energized about this new chapter for Thor.”

The new company is targeting the 48th National RV Trade Show, Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, Lousiville, Ky., for its product debut. “It is an aggressive but achievable schedule,” Emahiser noted, “and my early focus is on hiring the top engineering and production people in the business.” According to Emahiser, the company will begin in the high-end fifth-wheel market.

Carriage Inc. has promoted Don Emahiser to CEO and president of its entire corporate operations, Glenn Cushman, chairman, announced this week.

Emahiser was previously the Millersburg, Ind.-based company’s vice president of sales and marketing and has been with Carriage for the past five years. Prior to that, the RV industry veteran served in upper management at Starcraft Corp. for many years.

While in charge of sales for Carriage, Emahiser helped increase the number of dealers by 25% and doubled sales within his first two years, according to a news release. Other accomplishments included growing market share to 40% of the high-end fifth-wheel market and taking the company’s Cameo product from a small market share to the 16th best selling fifth-wheel in North America. Emahiser has also helped create a new marketing brand campaign for Carriage’s 2010 model year product.

Carriage will continue to innovate and expand its product offerings and market dominance in the high-end fifth-wheel marketplace with Emahiser at the wheel, Cushman said, noting that Emahiser’s new “Resort Vehicles” mantra represents a fresh commitment to Carriage’s luxury fifth-wheel buyer.

“We’re thrilled with Don’s performance, leadership and ideas,” said Cushman. “New and exciting innovations are in store for the future – we are very optimistic – and Don is the right man for the times.”

Cushman will continue his role as chairman of Carriage Inc. Carriage is the sixth largest fifth-wheel manufacturer in the RV industry. The company has been providing quality, high-end towables for over 40 years. Current product brands include Cameo, Carri-Lite and Royals International.

Carriage is a privately held company and has employed around 400 workers in Elkhart County.